St. Paul daily globe., 1887-07-18
EMINENT DOMAIN.
A Labor Leaders Views of the
Robberies of the Wealthy Coal

Robberies of the Wealthy Coal
BarOns.
Last winter, when the joint resolution
on coal was introduced in the legisla-
ture. the Pioner Press held up its hands
in feigned hon eSty and amaZement and
exclaimed: And yet this document
is neither more nor less than
the doctrines of Henry George thinly
disguised. y and inchOate denial
of the right of private property.
Therefore it is resolved that congress
should prepare a bill asserting the ma
tiOnal right of eminent domain over coal
lands now in private possession, reSum-
ing title of them i'll the public interest"
The ingenious Pioneer Press omitted
to recite Just what the memorial did say
in the preamble, and which | will take
the liberty to supply. ''And, whereas,
the holders of this necessity of life and
civilization of our country have per-
formed no service to their fellow cOun-
trymen to entitle them to this privilege,
but their wealth and power is derived
SOley from the artificial scarcity they
have created in the coal supply by lille
cal combinations and conspiracies :
therefore be it resolved"
This preamble explains the object of
the resolution viz, to strike at cOnSpira-
cieS and illegal cOmbinatiOnS-Whic
was so ingeniOuSly omitted by the z. p.
1t is a maxim that the truth partly
stated is lie. and [ think this was the
object of the hireling of monopoly that
penned the editorial. in emitting this
important part of the document, to
make the people think that every word
uttered by labOrer is in league with
anarchy.
But the P P. admits the necessity for
the document or something in defense
of the peOple1against the spOliatiOn Of
the mOnOpolistS in this sentence; lit is
well known that there are coal mOnOpO-
lies, they not infrequently add unnec-
eSSarily to the price of fuel"
Vow as the P. p. objected to this
''thinly disguised doctrine of Henry
George" would it not be proper for the
p. p. in its assumption of greater per-
ception of honesty and love of individ-
ual right, to give US some way out of
this dilemma. One fifteenth of the
area of the United States excluding
Alaska-is underlaid with coal, yet the
indications are that coal will be showed
up in price to $3.50 or SO per ton the
coming winter, and yet we are not to eX-
claim against this barefaced rob-
berry. lest we touch individual
rights. We want an eXpla-
nation. of where a few people
living but thirty-three years get the
right to seize on products of nature that
have taken millions of years to form,
and which will be a prime necessity of
the people for thousands of years yet to
come. and through them make a nation
tributary. The American citizens deny
the right of a cZar, emperor or king to
r-o4x hot lG hn al
whether the people are taxed by ruler
at the head of Il nation or private in
diyidual at the end? 1t resolves itself
into this question at last: How much
bread and butter is taken from my fam
lily without returning any equivalent?
How much is taken from us by our do
cile submission to fraud?
Anthracite coal laid down at the
mouth of the mine ready for shipment
does not cost over 81.
Per ton. including plant and digging. 81 90
Profit to owner, 20 per CENT. 20
Handling and shipping TO st. Paul and
Twenty per cent to handlers in those
cities OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES %
Carriage. .......---.-.. -....-.----.-..-----.-- oO
Total 81 "a
This shows that coal can be sold in
st. Paul and Minneapolis after giving
every one fair profit for S4.34 per ton
delivered to the consumer. All over
this price that is taken from the citi-
Zens shows Just how much is taken
from the consumer by legal robbery.
Under what guise is this done? By
making the people pay for the rise i'll
price OF the coal lands. The most of
the coal lands are not used for agricul-
tural purposes, but it is necessary to
withhold them from the people so a
single man buys thousands OF acres of
coal lands, containing coal enough to
last thousands of years. and as he calls
this part of his investment we are
called to pay first interest on the
amount paid for the lands; second, on
the rise in the price of the land caused
bV the increased necessities OF the pe0-
pie caused by the growth OF population.
| say a rise in price, not of value, for
the coal lands are only valuable for the
coal they contain necessary for the
present wants of the people, any other
so-called value is SpeculatlVe-a pros
pect of collecting tribute III the future.
Coal lands which contain rather less than
more coal from day to day, and are really
of less value Now the question arises,
what right has the individual, under
color of law, to prohibit citizen of the
United States. born his equal, fetching
into the world as much power of pro-
duction as himself, from obtaining coal
from the common supply of nature
without paying him first interest on the
price paid: second, interest on the extra
price added because of the necessities
of the people created by allowing a man
to become a selfish dog in the man
ger" If few men were to get left on
an island and one should find enough of
a necessity to last thousands of years
and make his fellows pay him for per
mission to use it, what would be said
of him? He would be called
a selfish, inhuman brute, and
those that submitted to his
dictatiOn would be called fools. But
what is the difference between the citi-
Zens of the United States and the coal
barOns? The coal barOnS are selfish
and the citizens are fools to submit to a
conspiracy to rob them.
Not only this. but the citizens pay the
barOnS interest on coal i'll the ground
wear after year that can only be used
hundrds and thousands of years hence,
making the unborn citizen tributary
slave in advance of existence to the
heirs of the barOnS. Now II the Pioneer
Press and mOnOpOliStic papers have a
better method of curing this evil than
by congress exercising the right OF emf
nent domain where combinations exist
Cor the purpose of exacting an unfair
amount of labor in exchange for
their-the peoples coal, made by
nature for all - coal, so called.
then let the people know it. We, the
workingmcn, do not wish to wrong any
une-nOt even our families-the last
thought of. The p. j. has admitted
that the price of fuel is sometimes un-
necessarily raised by coal mOnOpolies
combining with railroad monopOlies.
now Eeer ten US av Sw tan 20 S'9 pr IN Ia sed
| GpOrpeisn - pt lis have II and we